Shift from the norm
by wolfer-2
Summary: While he appreciated the effort, he was having a hard time focusing when a certain someone kept hovering over him. It'd take some getting used to. (Drabble)


The body was reclined over the sofa, sprawled. Said furniture had been scooted out of place, one could see scrape marks on the wooden floor below it. A look of fear etched the face of the victim, who had tried to stumble back in possible panic, pushed the furniture back while trying to scramble, and gotten stabbed as a result by the killer. Seven stab wounds, this one was personal.

Someone was watching him. The gaze was friendly and familiar, he knew who it was without turning, so he tried to ignore it. He had to get back to work.

Sweat lined the body, possibly from the panic rather than exercise, something an autopsy could confirm once it was over. The coroner would have it taken away once the forensics were done taking pictures, but for now Conan tried to work with what he had. Kogoro was sufficiently distracted making probing questions to the possible murderers or witnesses, as he should. The man may not be an excellent private detective when he wasn't focused and it wasn't a case close to him, but he made for a pretty good cop, and was getting better at knowing what to ask. He left the man to his questioning, knowing he could ask later if he needed to.

Attention returned to the body, and he looked for sign of a dying message. None, of course, which was unfortunate. It was always easier when they left a dying message, even if it'd take some time to decrypt, but not everyone had the time to do it. He eyed the creases on the expensive carpet below the coffee table, slightly knocked over, and his gaze trailed to where the victim possibly had been before they tried to scramble for their life. Why scramble? They knew the threat was serious. If so, maybe they could find a link within people who knew him and might be known for violence? No, that wouldn't do. It's possible they didn't think the murderer was serious until they took the murder weapon.

The stare was back. All he could do was shrug it off for now. It was a little difficult, especially with how nervous it was making him.

Conan then approached the body, not at all concerned about how awful the scenery looked in the otherwise expensive-looking western-style room. The officers who had been working on taking samples were then 'conveniently' distracted by the chattering of the younger Mouri, Ran, who had been observing behind him the whole time. It was getting a little distracting.

Oh well.

Rumpled clothing on a supposedly prim and proper man, someone he knew was here. One could argue it got rumpled in the scuffle, but the mess was in the wrong places. Undone buttons for a more casual look, the sleeves rolled up messily as if without caring what the other party thought, pulled down tie, but only a little. This man had definitely been in the presence of… a lover? A friend? A fond acquaintance? It didn't narrow it down enough. Focusing on the stab wound and direction wouldn't matter as much other than handedness (right, unfortunately), as the victim had fallen onto the sofa without being stabbed. He could tell that much already from looking at the wounds from his very disadvantageous position, and even closer just confirmed his suspicion. He'd get no height hint from that, no.

This was a crime of anger, heat of the moment, perhaps, but the resentment was there. Raw. It was-

"Conan-kun, come on, you aren't supposed to be around the body." With that, his right wrist was grabbed, and he was gently lead away so the forensics could cart the body off and to the coroner. Looks like his time was up, and the distraction could no longer be held up. Resigned, he followed lead.

On the upside, at least he wasn't being carried away. On the downside, it was still a little embarrassing. His eyes returned to the crime scene, so he could examine it now that the body was gone, but suddenly his vision was obscured by a person, she kneeled to see him eye to eye and suddenly his thoughts derailed and fell apart.

"What have you figured out, Shi-Conan-kun?" She asked, her voice low as a whisper, and he decided to forgive the slipup. Hattori had done worse, out loud. Of course, he couldn't really think of anything beyond that, trying to gather his thoughts was difficult when he was this close to her, noses almost touching. He almost stumbled back, stammering some vowels.

It took him a few moments to regain his composure. He almost lost it again as Ran tried not to laugh at him. She was failing, and he felt a tinge of embarrassment as his cheeks flared with heat. It wasn't that funny! "You surprised me." He grumbled, and the other teen looked vexed for a few moments, before the distance dawned on her. He could see it in her eyes, that look when someone realizes something.

She didn't do anything about it. That was playing dirty.

"Not much, we'll have to ask if he was expecting visitors or not." He said, giving her a grin that lacked as much confidence, although it was due to his nerves at her being close, not as his competence. Regardless, an unexpected visitor could also explain the messy appearance, rather than it being someone he knew and was conversing with. It seemed a far more likely scenario that someone he knew came, rather than someone dropping by for a sudden visit. "If occhan hasn't already asked." Conan then added with a shrug, throwing a glance at the police detectives and the elder Mouri. Maybe it was also an excuse to not look at Ran while they were so close, it made him nervous. "I just have bits and pieces, but the culprit was likely someone he knew or someone he messed with. This was personal." Ran shuddered, moving back a little so they each had their personal bubble back. She probably hadn't been very fond of being near a body that had been so violently treated.  
He couldn't blame her, it wasn't exactly a wonderful sight.

"I'll look around more." With that, he stumbled back, then scurried off as he heard her footfalls begin to follow at a slight distance. She seemed to be looking at higher ground, but sometimes as he checked under the furniture or around the lower areas, he couldn't help but feel eyes at the back of his head.

This would take some getting used to. Ran cooperated with the investigation, acting like a concerned guardian (although, sometimes, it was not an act) to relieve suspicion off him. It felt like a weight off his shoulders, but it was certainly… weird. A good kind of weird.

Conan, no, Shinichi, had certainly missed cooperating with his best friend.

Maybe, one day, this could become the usual, and he would stop being oh so distracted whenever he felt Ran watching him or whenever she took him aside to discuss case details. And he was looking forward to it, and how it'd progress whenever he could finally return.

* * *

/Started musing how casework would be like if Ran knew and both were in on it and cooperating. How it came to this is up to you.


End file.
